Chapter Notes: First of all, I want to say I'm sorry. I've been neglecting this story in a bad way. I haven't been wanting to, but that other story just won't leave me alone! But it was supposed to be a back burner, and now it is. I almost want to just write that story and get it over with, but that story means just as much to me as this one, and I don't want to rush it. This one just hasn't come out of me as easily, lately. And I know the ending to my last chapter was weak. And I hate it. It sucks. But I just had to keep going…
Anyway, LOTS of interesting stuff going on this year…hehehe…most of it's already written…I just need to get there. :D So, I hope you all stay along for the ride…'cause Raven's life isn't getting any easier.
A Witch's First Summer
I. Am. So. Bored.
It's been four weeks since summer started, and while I've been enjoying the break from all the stuff at school (like Draco), it's been rather boring.
I can't do magic. I can't invite Blaise or Pansy or Theo over…if they knew where I actually lived and how we live here… And I can't really invite my old friends over either. It's too odd to talk to them. All they do is ask about the super-private school that I go to that they don't even know the name of.
It sucks.
I've been helping Mum with her sewing business a little bit, while she's been busy making wedding cakes for her gourmet baking business. She's been teaching me some more complicated things, as well as some charms (which, of course, I'm not allowed to do) to enhance the pieces. She's even showed me a few easy ones to make life easier, which I've written down so I can practice them later.
She's been doing magic more often now that I'm in school. I think she feels like it's finally time to stop being so paranoid. But I'm glad that she's getting more comfortable about it. I was worried that she might never really recover from what happened to my father. It's almost like my going to Hogwarts has…set her free or something.
Blaise has written a few times. And every time I get a letter, I keep remembering what Harry said about him liking me. His letters don't give me any clue, though. Just friendly letters about what he's been doing, and that he used some of the hair dye I got him, and he can't wait to show me something. I wrote back asking him what it was, but he won't tell me. He says it's a surprise.
He asked to come over, or have me visit him, but for fear of the truth being found out, I lied (which is much easier on paper, where I can't see him) and told him I was too busy. Which isn't entirely a lie, actually. I am busy, helping Mum, but I'm just so…bored. I've read all of my Hogwarts books a few times (including the time before school had even started), I've nearly finished all of my holiday homework, and I'm itching to go to Diagon Alley to buy my new school supplies. But I haven't gotten my list yet and Mum says we should wait a few more weeks anyway.
Hermione wrote too. She told me about how her summer's going, as she was spending it in France. She had gotten all kinds of good information about the local wizards to add into her homework, and also mentioned that the summer dress I had given her has become very useful, seeing as France's summer heat is nearly unbearable at times.
I wrote her back, telling her how I was doing, and that I almost couldn't wait to get back to school, even though that means I'll have to start dealing with Draco again.
Oh, Mum's calling me. If anything exciting happens, I'll write it down. But I have a feeling nothing will.
I just got back from Diagon Alley today, and I saw Harry! God, I didn't realise how much I missed talking with him, until I saw him again. I was walking down the alley with Mum, on my way to the next shop, when I heard a familiar tenor. Whirling around, I saw him, standing by Flourish and Blotts, talking to some of his friends. He looked at me and gave a slight nod, so I continued on, looking back at him as I walked into the Apothecary's.
A few minutes later, as I was waiting for the apothecary to get my supplies, I felt a tap on my shoulder and, knowing exactly who it was, I turned around, threw my arms around him, and pulled him into a hug.
"Harry! Oh my god, it's so good to see you!"
He staggered slightly under my sudden weight but hugged me back. "It's good to see you too."
I called Mum over. "Mum! Hey Mum!"
Walking over, she said, "Yes, Dear, what is it?"
"Mum…I want you to meet Harry Potter."
Mum looked at him for a moment before smiling. "Harry Potter…it's a pleasure to meet you." She shook his hand.
"The pleasure's all mine, Mrs. Harrell."
My mum's smile got wider, but she said, "Although I'm afraid I wasn't aware you knew Raven…" She trailed off and looked at me.
I looked at the floor. "Er…yeah. We met, last year."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Um…do you remember that shirt I asked you to make?"
"Yes…"
"Well, that was for Harry, Mum. Not Blaise."
"You lied to me?"
Harry started fidgeting next to me. I could tell he was slightly uncomfortable with the situation. I responded, "Well…yes, I guess I did. I'm sorry Mum. I didn't want to, but I wasn't sure how'd you react to my friendship with Harry."
My mum regarded us for a moment. "We'll talk about this a bit later, I think, Raven. Where you will tell me all of the details of what has been happening without my knowledge."
"Yes, Mum." I felt truly chastised.
"If you'd like to take a break from shopping, I'll meet you back at Flourish and Blotts in a half hour." She said.
I smiled. "Thanks Mum!" I gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and walked out of the shop with Harry.
"I'm sorry if I got you in trouble with your mum," he said.
"No, it's alright. I should have told her. She doesn't know how much you know. In fact, I haven't even told her about who killed Da. I don't think I ever will. I don't want her to be any more worried about me than she already is. Especially since Sirius Black has escaped. Have you heard about that?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I have. I hear he was a follower of Voldemort. I wonder what he's going to do now that he's escaped." I didn't have anything to say to that, but Harry said, "So, do you want to come back to my room at the Leaky Cauldron? There's a better chance that we won't be seen or overheard."
I raised an eyebrow. "Sure…but why are you staying there?" I asked, as we made our way to the back entrance of the pub.
Harry then quickly related his story about how he blew up his uncle's sister by accident, and then had to run away, but then the Knight Bus took him to the Leaky Cauldron. He said that he didn't get in trouble from doing underage magic, but that the Minister of Magic himself had confined him to Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron.
"Blaise was right about you," I said when he was finished, as we walked into his room.
Harry was immediately on guard. "What did he say?"
"That you're a trouble maker," I smirked.
"Hey, trouble finds me, not the other way around."
"Sure…" I mocked.
But Harry just rolled his eyes. "So, how's your summer been?" He said, while sitting down on his bed.
"Oh, alright." I said as I sat down next to him. "Pretty boring, actually. I've been helping Mum with sewing and bookkeeping and stuff, but it really sucks not being able to do magic. I've finished all my homework, and I can't talk to any of my old friends from primary, because all they want to talk about is Hogwarts. Not that they know anything about it, but they want to."
"I know how you feel. Not that I have any friends from primary, my cousin Dudley took care of that, but my uncle forbids me from talking about it. In fact, before I came here, I had to do my homework in secret."
"Really? That sucks."
"Yeah."
"So you excited about school?" I asked.
"Yes. I can't wait to see Ron and Hermione. They both gave me really cool birthday presents, and I still need to thank them."
"Your birthday? When is it? Oh, god, now I feel bad that I didn't get you anything."
"No, it's alright. I don't mind, you didn't know. But for future reference, it's July 31st."
"Oh, you're a Leo then."
"A what?"
"A Leo. It's a sign of the Western Zodiac. Haven't you ever heard of a horoscope?"
"Er…maybe. I'm not sure, I didn't get out much before Hogwarts."
"Oh, well a horoscope is like…a prediction of the future. Some are detailed, down to the day; others are more vague and span longer periods of time."
"So it's like Divination? I'm taking that this year."
"Oh? Well, maybe you'll learn more about it. But basically, the Western Zodiac is a way older civilisations divided up the sky, based off of the constellations, or, every 30 degrees. From the 20th or 21st of every month, to the 20th or 21st of the next month is a different sign. Since you were born between July 20th and August 21st, you are a Leo. The symbol for Leo is a lion, and it's considered to be a 'fire' sign. Each sign corresponds to its constellation in the sky and an element-earth, water, fire or air. Your sign can tell you a lot about what kind of person you are, although some people who study the zodiac have slightly conflicting views about each sign."
Harry stared at me with wide eyes. "Don't do that again. You sounded way too much like Hermione there for a second. And I only need one of her in my life."
I laughed. "Sorry. It's just something I've always been interested in."
"So…what sign are you?"
"I'm a Taurus. I was born May 3rd. It's an earth sign."
"Hmm…this sounds kinda interesting. Maybe I'll like Divination."
"Maybe." I looked at my watch. "Oh, it looks like I've got to go." I stood and headed to the door. "I'll see you around Harry."
He stood too and gave me a quick hug. "We'll…have to figure out some way to see each other this year. I don't think sending owls will work. I think Hermione was getting slightly suspicious, because I never get owls."
"Okay. Well…how about some sort of signal…or…I don't know. I'll do some research, and ask Mum if she knows any spells to alert another person or something."
"Okay. I'll see you, Raven."
"Bye, Harry." And I left him in his room and went back to Mum.
Mum and I talked as we went home today, about Harry and our relationship, and how we'd been talking…let's just say she wasn't too pleased. I think she was a little hurt too, that I felt like I couldn't tell her about Harry from the beginning. I couldn't give her a reason. I think lying was becoming second nature to me, being in Slytherin and all.
When I asked her about any charms we could use, she lectured me on the morals of sneaking out of the common room at late hours, and how I should be sleeping, but realised that I'd probably do it anyway, and she'd rather I be safer about it (although she seemed pleased to hear that Harry had an invisibility cloak to help.)
"You're not even a teen yet, and you're already being rebellious." She said.
"Mum, you know that I'm more mature than those stupid older giggly girls that we saw in Madam Malkin's today."
"Yes, I know. My little girl's growing up so fast."
"Ma…"
She chuckled. "Well, I do know one charm that might help you. It's kind of like a whispering in the ear. I'll write it down for you, but basically, you say the initial incantation, say what you need to say, addressing person, and then say the final incantation, which sends it to the ear of the person you addressed it to. Only that person will hear it."
"But what if there was more than one Harry at school?"
"That's the tricky part. You have to address the person and visualise them in your head, or else it won't work."
"Hmm…okay."
"I'll demonstrate for you when we get home. I'm a little rusty, but at least you'll see what I'm talking about."
"Cool."
The rest of the ride home was uneventful, and when we got home, Mum demonstrated how the charm would work. I don't have an owl, nor am I anywhere near one I can use, so I guess I'll just have to use the charm when we get to school, and hope that Harry doesn't think he's hearing voices again.
Okay, so now it's September 1st. Today…was the most bizarre and scary day I've had. Well, in a long time, anyway.
It started with the train ride to Hogwarts. I briefly saw Harry, Hermione and Ron at King's Cross. And while they didn't say anything to me, Hermione gave me a small smile, and Harry gave me a quick wink before, whom I'm assuming was Ron's mother, gave him a kiss. I smiled at that and climbed aboard, finding an empty compartment.
The next second, Pansy, Blaise, Theo and Millie burst in, all talking excitedly. Pansy gave me a quick hug and asked how my summer was; Millie grunted a greeting, and Theo gave me a 'hey.' But it was Blaise that I was staring at.
He had definitely used that silver hair dye I got him…his spiky hair was frosted in it, and it kept shimmering magically. But it was his ear I was gaping at.
"Blaise…is that an earring?" I asked, my eyes wide, staring at the small blue ball on his left lobe.
He grinned widely. "Yep! My dad let me get one for my birthday this year."
"But you're only thirteen!"
"Yeah, I know. Isn't cool? I saw a muggle picture of some guy with one on our way home from King's Cross at the beginning of the summer, and I knew I wanted one."
I raised an eyebrow, but then I smiled. "Somehow…it fits you. I like your hair, by the way." I said as I sat down next to the window.
"Yes, I'm so glad you got me that dye. I still have tons left, too. It lasts much longer than I thought," he replied, sitting down next to me.
"So, your dad let you pierce your ear…doesn't he think that's girly or uncultured and rebellious or something?" The train started moving, and everyone settled in their seats, Pansy and Millie chatting idly (or more like Pansy, really), and Theo just looked out the window.
Blaise shrugged. "A little. It took some persuasion from my mum. She'll let me do nearly anything. My father let me as long as I promised not to pierce both ears, and if I took it out when we had family gatherings and important guests over."
"And your hair?"
"Yeah…he wasn't too happy about that either."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to get you in trouble with your parents."
"No, it's ok. He just cast a glamour charm on it to make it all black again. It wears off after a few hours."
"I see."
As the train headed north to Scotland, we talked about what we had done over the summer. The sky had darkened outside, and it started to rain heavily. At one point, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle walked in, and proceeded to take over the spot light. The first thing I noticed about him was his hair. It wasn't slicked back like it normally was, and it seemed a little bit longer too, falling just to his ears, and framing his cheekbones nicely. He still looked elegant though, and stood there with a superior indifference. I had hoped I could avoid him until the feast, but no such luck.
"Hello, everyone," he said in a bored tone.
"Ooh, Draco, I like your hair!" Pansy squealed, and Draco just gave her a 'devil-may-care' smile.
Scanning the group, his eyes caught mine and narrowed at the space between Blaise and me. "Crabbe, Goyle, why don't you sit next to Millie. Blaise, move over, I need to sit down."
"But there's plenty of room next to Pansy…" Blaise said, gesturing to the space on the other side of him.
"Exactly, which is why you can move over." Blaise begrudgingly shifted over, and Draco sat down between us.
"Raven," he addressed.
"Draco," I addressed back, looking out the window.
"I'll take it that you haven't had any more dreams about me?"
"Who would want to dream about you in the first place?" I snapped back.
"Watch your mouth, Harrell."
"Or what? You'll hex me? I don't think so, Draco. You don't want Professor Snape giving you a detention, do you? 'Cause then you won't be his perfect student anymore, will you?" Draco's eyes narrowed. "Isn't that what you are? Or is my information incorrect?"
"You know nothing, Raven."
"I suppose," I said sarcastically.
I saw Draco open his mouth to speak, but then the train started to slow down, and then it stopped. We all looked around in confusion but when the lights went out, Pansy shrieked at the sudden darkness. I felt Draco shift closer to me, pressing me against the wall. My heart was hammering in my chest, as we sat there in silence, before a strange feeling started coursing through me. I felt cold. Very cold. It seemed to be exploding from my forehead, and I cried out in pain, clutching my head. My brain felt numb.
"Raven?" Blaise asked. "Are you alright?"
"N-no…" I said weakly. A wave of nausea washed over me and I pitched forward, before I felt an arm holding me back against the seat.
"Harrell? Harrell, talk to me." I vaguely heard Draco's voice near my face, but it sounded so far away. All there was the intense cold. It was washing over my body and I couldn't think straight.
"I just…I just…" and all I remember after that is black.
-----
I woke to a pleasant warmth and a rhythmic rocking. I opened my eyes and realised a few things all at once: the train was moving again, it wasn't dark in the compartment anymore, and I was in someone's arms. Blaise's to be precise. I was laid out on one bench, and Blaise held my torso in his lap.
"Raven! Oh thank goodness, you're alright," I heard him say when I opened my eyes.
"Blaise…what…what happened?" I blinked. I still felt horrible, but the cold was gone.
"We-we don't know. The train stopped, and then you screamed like you were hurt, and no one knows why. You eventually fainted, but Draco made sure you didn't fall on the floor, before running out of the compartment. That was just before the dementors arrived."
My mind was still muddled, and so I asked about the only thing that seemed to make any sense. "Draco…?"
"Yeah."
I shifted in Blaise's embrace. "Where…where is he now?"
"I'm right here," Draco said, coming through the doorway, looking slightly shaken. "I went and asked down the train when the dementors got here; they were looking for Sirius Black." He looked straight at me with an unreadable expression.
"Dementors?" Blaise mentioned something like that too…
"They're the guards of Azkaban," Draco explained.
"Oh…that's right…" I lied, like I was just remembering. I'll have to remember to look that up. Looking at Draco I said, "Thanks, Draco. For making sure I didn't fall on the floor."
He raised an eyebrow. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again. You're heavy."
From my position in Blaise's lap, I saw him roll his eyes. "No, you're not. Draco's just a wimp." I giggled at that, and heard Draco snort. When I moved to sit up, I cringed slightly and rubbed my forehead.
Blaise still looked at me worriedly. "Do you know what happened, Raven? Why you fainted?"
Crabbe said, "Maybe it's because of the dementors. Those things are right nasty."
"Shut up, Crabbe." Draco snapped. "You're just a pansy." When Pansy shot him a look, he muttered, "No offence, babe." In a clearer tone he said, "Besides, she passed out before the dementor got here."
I shook my head. "I have no idea why I fainted," I answered to Blaise's question. "I just felt…really cold, and then sick to my stomach…and then I think I passed out."
"Do you want anything to drink? Or eat?"
I shook my head again. "No, I think I'm alright now. I just need to sit still for a while."
"Okay."
I sat on the bench between Blaise and Pansy, who just stroked my long hair in a comforting manner. I smiled slightly at her, to let her know it was appreciated, before leaning back into the seat. Theo had moved to sit beside Pansy, and Crabbe, Goyle and Millie all sat across from us. Draco remained standing, leaning against the doorframe, before moving to stand at the window.
The rest of the train ride went on in relative silence, which was mostly broken by Crabbe and Goyle whining about wanting to get to Hogwarts, so they could start the feast. Draco finally just snapped at them to go find the fat witch with the trolley and get some sandwiches, and once they lumbered out, the pale boy nearly threw himself in the seat across from me.
"I'd thought I'd never get to sit down," he grumbled.
But Blaise said, "Why didn't you just tell one of them to move?"
"And have them stand over me? I don't think so. The slightest wobble of the train would have had them falling over and squashing me to death. I'd rather not chance it. I am much more graceful than they are." He flipped a lock of hair out of his eyes, and looked out the window. Not that he could see much, it was still pitch black outside, and the rain still hadn't let up.
I looked at him a minute before I asked, "Why do you keep them around, Draco? It doesn't seem like you like them much."
He shot me a scornful look before replying, "You're right. I don't really. They're not totally bad blokes, but while it's nice to have unofficial body guards, and they don't seem to mind the job, I'd kill for better company sometimes."
I raised an eyebrow. "Like who? Us?" I gestured to everyone in the compartment.
He raised an eyebrow of his own. "Perhaps."
"You're odd, Malfoy."
"And you're one to talk?" he retorted.
"Touché."
What I think Draco's problem really was was that he absolutely loved lording it over the two oafs, and even us to a degree. He liked having that sort of power over people, regardless of whether or not it was earned. Although I didn't succumb to it, we all knew that we'd rather be on his good side than his bad; well, everyone else felt that way. I couldn't care less, as long as he kept his mouth shut about my family. But I could tell he was being truthful. He liked the power, but after a few years of it, he was starting to see the bad side of not having real friends. And to be honest, I don't think he even realised what underlying meaning his words had.
And then again, this is Draco Malfoy and I could be reading into things too much. I tend to do that.
We were silent until the train stopped in Hogsmeade, and Crabbe and Goyle came back just before we exited the train. We stepped out into darkness, only lit up by a few small glows from lanterns. It was still raining, although not heavily, and the eight of us broke in half to fit into the horseless carriages that would take us to Hogwarts.
I noticed, as we passed the school gates, the hooded figures standing sentry, and felt another wave of nausea wash over me. But it passed, and I was only too happy for that.
When we got up to the doors of the school, I heard Draco say, "You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?"
Oh, great. Here we go again. I looked over to see Draco facing off Harry, who was trying to get up the stairs and into the school.
"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron said.
"Did you faint as well, Weasley? Did the scary old dementor frighten you too, Weasley?" Draco taunted, just before a quiet, older voice said,
"Is there a problem?" as I walked up the stairs, I looked back to see a man, looking quite bedraggled, gazing at the situation calmly.
Draco seemed to look at the man's dishevelled state before saying, "Oh no—er—Professor." And then I heard him lead Crabbe and Goyle up the steps behind me.
Once we got situated at our table, I said to Draco, who seemed to like sitting across from me I noticed, "Why'd you make fun of Potter? I fainted too."
"Yeah, well I hate Potter more than you, Raven, so count your blessings," he drawled.
"Gee, thanks, Malfoy." I said with sarcasm.
He waved me off. "No problem."
We all watched the sorting, and then listened to Dumbledore give us warnings about the dementors, informing us of our two new teachers; the man from outside, Professor Lupin, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and the gamekeeper, Hagrid, the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Not that it meant much to me…I was only a second year.
It wasn't until after the feast had started, that I looked across the hall for Harry. As I looked at him, looking very happy about Hagrid's appointment, I couldn't help but stare at his scar. Normally, I hardly noticed it at all…it was just a part of Harry, no different than his green eyes or his black hair. But tonight…
I resolved to use that charm my mum had taught me to see Harry that night. So excusing myself to the loo, I walked out of the hall and stopped just outside, keeping at an angle that the Slytherin table couldn't see me, but I could see Harry. Muttering the first incantation, I concentrated on Harry's face and whispered, "Harry, meet me in our usual meeting spot, 11 pm. I have to tell you something." Then I said the final incantation, and watched Harry, to see if it worked. About five seconds passed, before I saw Harry stop chewing his food, and his head snap up slightly. I watched as he glanced around the hall, and then look across towards the Slytherin table, searching for something. Just as it looked like he was about to give up, a puzzled look on his face, I walked back into the hall, a smile on my face, happy that it worked. I didn't look over to Harry, so as not to alert suspicion, but as soon as I sat down, I caught his eye, and he knew that I was the one to send the message, and gave me short nod.
Perfect.
So, I'm off to see Harry in an hour. Let's just hope I can get out of the common room alright. It probably won't be much of a problem…Snape sent for me, anyway. Goddess, I hope this year is better than the last.
But with those dementors everywhere…and that weird thing that happened on the train… If my suspicions are correct, this year's going to be worse.
A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter… It's a little longer than the ones I normally write…about twelve pages…when my normal is seven. I think part of that has to do with my other story, The Bet, where I usually write anywhere from ten to thirteen pages a chapter. :P Anyway, tell me what you think, and…I also have a yahoo group, where I'm keeping my stories, and as soon as I get them finished, some artwork for them. (But if you want to submit fanart or something, let me know!)There's a poll up there…it's the same one from earlier, and if you've already told me what you think, tell me again on the yahoo site. I think it's more fun that way! The site is: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ raesmusings (remember to delete the spaces!) and it's on my user page as well. Just click the homepage link.
And…as sort of another poll, but more like that I just want to know…I want you guys to tell me what YOU think is going to happen to Raven this year (or any other year, for that matter). You never know…I may just add it in… Love and huggles to you all! I love you!
Review Responses: I'm not sure who I all responded to last time...and since ONE of you reviewed, like twelve times... :P
SmileyFace3: You know I'm talking about you! lol No, I enjoy getting reviews from you, so it's no big deal. I hope you like this chapter!
DarkKestrelArwenSilkeQueen: Yeah, they're a little young...but I knew people who were dating then too...and I had my first boyfriend at twelve... And remember, Raven said that Blaise probably thought it was more of a date than it really was. She was just happy to hang out with someone who didn't hate her... But anyway, as far as their maturity goes, part of that is just me. I've been reading the books to try to keep Harry and Draco at they're current mind-set and age..but it's hard. Part of it is also just the way the story is being told. By Raven. Basically, it's an older Raven re-reading her old journals, and re-writing her memories, with a larger vocabulary, and a more mature look at things. The dialogue is the hardest part to write...to keep it younger sounding, but still have the story sound like it's being written by someone who's not a pre-teen. But then again, I was pretty mature for my age back then, and no offence to anyone out there...but I feel like the mental capacity of your younger generation is declining. But anyway, hopefully, everything is coming across alright. If not, PLEASE let me know! :D Oh, and as for who Raven will get together with...maybe it'll be all three? ;) You'll just have to wait and see...
Thank you all, and please review!
